In 2005, the theme of the New York Coin Magic Seminar was Coins Across. In 2006, the theme was Copper and Silver. In 2007 we did Productions, Vanishes, and Penetrations. Since then, people have been asking us what we can possibly do next!
On Nov 22-23 2008, at Marc DeSouza's magic theatre in King of Prussia, PA, we will be presenting SEMINAR SIX. And the theme this year? MORE! Yes, more of EVERYTHING - coins across, copper silver, prductions, vanishes, and penetrations, and MORE! Anything goes at this one , including new routines, new moves, unpublished stuff, lectures, workshops, special guests, a bag of FREE stuff worth over $100 (different at each seminar), a Pizza lunch (and we are talking about GREAT pizza!), a special screening of footage of coin magicians of the past, a tribute to the late Geoff Latta, and MORE! The next day the attendees are welcome to stay for the filming of our DVD set, where even MORE material will be taught. We may even ask some of our guests to contribute!
The cost? We have held the price again to only $250. Space is limited, so register soon at our website, www.newyorkcoinmagic.net . Looking forward to seeing you there!

Best, Michael Rubinstein and the Coin Champions, David Roth and Mike Gallo

We have always had special guests grace our seminar, each contributing with their own style and brand of magic. At our first Seminar, we had Mike Gallo, who actually became a member of our group. In Seminars since we have had Kainoa Harbottle (resident special guest), Paul Cummins, Curtis Kam, Tim Conover, and Giacomo Bertini. This year we will have some surprises. First up is the creator of the Trabucco holdout, VICTOR TRABUCCO. In addition to the miracles he performs with the holdout, he does some pretty awesome coin magic (as people who have seen him at the Forks hotel over the years can attest). He is very busy in his profession as a world class glass sculptor, so this is a rare opportunity to see him in action! Resistration is limited, so sign up early, you won't want to miss this one, which promises to be our best seminar YET!! Go to www.newyorkcoinmagic.net for signup info. See you there!

As I stated, we always have special guests. Some come just to perform, some to lecture, and some just like to hang out with the group. However, some are VERY special. At Seminar SIX, we will have all of that. We have already invited VICTOR TRABUCCO to lecture for the group, and show some amazing applications of his holdout. But the BIG news is yet to come. We are proud to have an ICON of coin magic join us for Seminar SIX. Someone who everyone knows, but does not make many appearances. Someone who is an expert on the theory of magic, and has the chops to back that up. Someone who cares more about teaching the RIGHT way to do something rather than quickly demonstrate some flashy routines and moves. We are proud and excited to have none other than the LEGENDARY AL SCHNEIDER at Seminar SIX! Al will not only be with us for both days, but will be conducting a SPECIAL TWO HOUR HANDS ON INTENSIVE COIN SESSION! This will follow our now famous two hour hands on workshop, giving you more hands on material than ever before! And the cost for all of this? STILL only $250, payable by paypal or by sending a check or money order to the address on the website. We are limited by the amount of seats in the theatre, so we can only have a limited amount of people. We should sell out this seminar, so be sure to sign up as soon as possible! Looking forward to seeing you there!

I have received some questions regarding the Seminar. The Seminar is open to beginners as well as advanced performers. Workshops are divided, so that magicians of equal ability are grouped together. The first two hour workshop is divided by Roth, Gallo, and myself. We go over material based on the ability of the group. We may teach a new routine, concentrate on technique, or both. If you have seen our DVD's with snippits of the seminars, you can even see a discussion of something as basic as classic palm,as difficult as deep back clip, and how we conduct the workshop. Al Schneider is doing a two hour workshop on his own, and he will make sure you learn what he teaches. In the all day seminar there are also lectures and discussions,with easy and difficult material, all practical and user friendly, plus material to study on your own in our free stuff giveaway, so this is a perfect seminar for magicians of all abilities. And you can even stay for the filming of the DVD set the next day and learn even more! But you won't learn by staying at home, so sign up at http://www.newyorkcoinmagic.net before the theatre is filled and no spots remain!

With Seminar SIX about six weeks away, I wanted to share exerpts from postings made on the Caf after some of the prior Seminars. Thought you might want to see what attendees thought.

Ed Hands:
The four NY Coin Gurus Messrs. Roth, Latta, Gallo, and Dr. Rubinstein held another Coin Seminar in the DeSouza's theatre outside of Philadelphia. I thoroughly enjoyed Seminar II. This one seemed even better! Seminar IV had a Copper Silver theme. I have loved Spellbound from almost my first taste of magic. Now, however, I appreciate a richer concept behind even this one Copper Silver effect.
The presentations were thrilling. The explanations masterful! During the explanations that generally followed the presentations, techniques (sleights, audience management, misdirection, etc.) were taught in as much detail as the attendees wished with time for questions. All four of the NY Coin Gurus were 'on stage' together. They smoothly interjected comments that clarified or expanded each others explanations. Succeeding performers made references to what had been presented previously. Instruction included thoughts and examples of how routines could be sequenced to hide methods and magnify effects. The event was well organized and reeked of class.
There were break-out sessions during which groups of three classmates sat down with each guru in turn. We were encouraged to ask any questions. Invaluable answers followed. The breakout schedule allowed time for individual instruction and feedback. After this attendee-driven portion of each breakout, the guru gave us a choice of things he had prepared to finish the time allotted to that breakout session. New routines were always among these offerings. These routines tended to include items better learned in smaller groups where suggestions could be given on the attendees grips, angles, etc.
I cant forget to mention terrific lecture notes and DVDs given away!
In summary, the seminar offered a wealth of fabulous information reflecting the New York Coin Guys' vast experience in not only creating magic, but also teaching it. The seminar organization (from venue to content to scheduling) made for a memorable event.

Eric Jones:
For the 4th time, David Roth, Michael Rubinstein, Mike Gallo, and Geoff Latta got together to put the BEST one day seminar I've attended in my short time in magic. The lectures were AMAZING, the break-out sessions were INCREDIBLE, and the pizza was DELICIOUS!!!!! Marc Desouza held this event at his home for the second time, and I was lucky enough to attend both events. Both were a treat, but this one took the cake.
If you ever have an opportunity to attend one of these events.....please don't pass it by. What better way to perfect technique than to get personal instruction from the gurus in the field, The New York Coin Guys.....

Michael Feldman
If you ever have a chance to go to one of these seminars, it's simply something you shouldn't miss. It's a ton of great magic, great lectures, and a chance to session with some amazing coin magicians - both lecturers and attendees.

Dj-Qbert
Yeah I had fun at the seminar.Actually I had a terrific time. Me and Remy drove for 10 fricking hours to get there but was sooo worth it. ( he drove I navigated) .I was literally stunned by Marc's house. His collection of books is huge and so many rare props. Then they tell me theres another room over there!! wow. The stage area was beautiful with extremely comfortable seats. Remy took a lot of pictures I hope he shares:)
The lectures were incredible one after the other so much stuff!!. The workshops were very useful as I gained very valuable tips and techniques on improving my sleights. The attendees were terrific and highly skilled people. They showed me amazing routines. Like I said ton of stuff:)
Speaking of stuff. We all received gift bags which were very generously filled up. I mean really generous. They mentioned over 100$ worth of stuff its more like over $200 worth of stuff. Tons of lecture notes and dvds were inside along with a spectacular palming coin. Kudos Mr. Roth.
Oh ya I haven't even mentioned the most tastiest pizza I have ever eaten. I'm not such a big pizza guy never really in the mood for it but I could eat this stuff 6 times a day. Marc truly knows his sense of taste. He is such a nice guy letting us come over to his house and play with his toy collection.
This was truly an amazing experience and I was so delighted to meet everyone.

Jacob Jax
I cannot say enough good things about the seminar. I rarely post on the Caf, although I lurk quite a bit. I knew only a few people coming to this seminar (Eric a little, Marc, and I had met Roth once). Everyone at this event was extremely kind!! I had a blast. I think that out of everyone there, there were 3 or four of us who were way under the leauge and skill level of everyone else. I felt immediatley welcomed into the group and was treated as an equal by some amazing technicians and performers.
Thanks to everyone who was there, especially Giacamo (Bertini), for traveling all this way and making a fantastic effort to communicate his routines to us. I have so much to work on.. its not even funny.
It was great to be involved the shoot the next day. There was so much material that was covered that sadly due to time will not be on the DVD. However, there is some great stuff on there. Many thanks as well to Scott the awesome camera guy, who spent the entire day behind the cameras, was patient, and didn't flip out when we who were sessioning got too loud with laughter many times, and almost interrupted the filming.
Gallo, for those of you who don't know, in addition to being one of the best magicians I've seen, has so many great stories about magic and otherwise, and he was a pleasure to work with. Roth was humble, patient and was nice enough to fool the hell out of me over and over again. Rubenstein was great as well. He organized the whole *** thing, which god knows must have been very hard. He was kind enough to take time away from his lunch to go over moves that I needed extra help with (the ROPS move is awesome, its going straight into my work).
Probably one of the best magic events I've been to in a long time, I hope they have more.

EVERYONE WITH THE SLIGHTEST INTEREST IN COIN MAGIC NEEDS TO ATTEND THESE EVENTS.

Jordan Linker
This was my first time attending one of the NY coin seminars, and I doubt it will be my last. I can't add too much to the previous reviews, but will try.

The setting was great, Marc's house was amazing; His collection is the largest I've seen in person, and many cool and interesting props are on display. The theatre made for an extremely comfortable viewing of the event, every seat had a great view.
This is the fifth event, and they've arrived at just the right amount of organization: enough to keep things running smoothly, but not so much that the event seemed stiff.
I learned enough material to keep me busy for quite some time to come. I returned to magic a few months back after pursuing other interests fro the last fifteen years, so this was an eyeopener to the latest in coin magic. David, Michael, and Mike easily lived up to their reputations.
After the event we enjoyed a nice dinner with some nice routines. Eric (Jones) showed a coins across he was working on that looked great. and there were others as well.
Schedule permitting; I plan on attending Coin Seminar 6, whenever that happens.

Hypnodream
Anybody who loves coin magic should attend one of these seminars. Instead of spending 250 bucks on a bunch of DVDs and/or a couple of coin gaffs, go to this seminar.
Coin seminar #5 was my second time. I went to coin seminar #2 a couple of years ago.
Others have covered a lot of the general experience so I will touch on a few highlights.
My favorite part of the seminar was the breakout sessions. Mike Gallo, David Roth, and Mike Rubinstein devoted individual attention to our specific needs and interests. I have a bit of trouble with the timing of the Gallo pitch. Mike Gallo helped me to come up with a practice approach that will get me where I want to go. David Roth helped me adjust just where and how to handle edge grip with my stubby fingers. Mike Rubinstein helped me with the details of the ROPS move and some click pass variations. You can't get this from lecture notes or DVDs.
It was great to meet Caf Members in person too.
Next time these guys put a seminar together, please go. You will love it.

Ken Schwab
Having been to many magic conventions over the years, it is always a thrill to experience a new type of magical happening, and last weekend I had the good fortune to do so by attending the New York Coin Magic Seminar #5 at Marc DeSouza's house outside of Philadelphia. It was like a Coin College where you were taught by both the legends of coin magic and the new heavy hitters of the art. It did not take place in a large college lecture hall or classroom, but in an intimate theater setting with a teacher to student ratio of about 1:5. Now, thats the way to learn!
The professors were David Roth, Dr. Michael Rubinstein, Mike Gallo, Kainoa Harbottle, and Giacomo Bertini. Their subject was coin productions, vanishes, and penetrations. The formats were lecture, hands-on breakout sessions, and screening of rarely seen coin magic videos. Attendees came from across the country and Canada a nice blend of beginner, intermediate, and advanced ability levels.
Was it worth the trip? You bet it was!
Here are a few personal highlights:
1. The opening close-up show. All three performers (David and the two Michaels) all shined. It was a treat to see many of the classic David Roth effects again especially The Tuning Fork.
2. The small hands-on breakout sessions were rare opportunities to ask questions and receive personal instruction from the pros. I had never seen such a feature at any magic convention before. Everybody was doing the magic with coins in hand. Small groups were formed according to ability level, and David and the two Michaels spent about a half an hour with each group. I cannot imagine a better way to learn the Gallo pitch than from Mike Gallo himself. He gave insights that I had not seen in print before. The same goes for the discussion of the Spider Vanish covered by both Mike and David. Besides discussing details of the shuttle pass and palming, David re-taught step-by-step the very practical and easy-to-do coins through the table effect he presented during his lecture. This effect included contributions by Slydini, Goshman, and Dingle. Michael Rubinstein cleverly taught his unique coin techniques through a three coin production and vanish sequence. Again, I cannot think of a better way to learn the ROPS move than from its inventor! Both Michaels also taught false counting techniques with coins. Tricky!
3. The video footage of Arthur Buckley performing his Fantasy in Silver act on You Asked for It. Move by move, Principles and Deceptions came to life!
5. The camaraderie at the Pizza lunch.
6. The New York Coin Magic DVD shoot that took place the following day included additional material not covered in the seminar.
7. Last, but not lease, the gift bag. Some conventions provide gifts that at best make a nice souvenir but are usually not useful. Not here. The New York Coin Magic Souvenir provided a package worth probably over $100! It included a DVD from every presenter a special DVD produced by Fantasma, lecture notes by Michael Rubinstein and David Roth, a Roths Rosin, and a commemorative David Roth Coin produced by Fantasma. Plus pens and a notebook for the serious student!
In short, it was a great weekend!

Bill Wells
Others have covered most of the content of the recent CoinSeminar #5 and I certainly agree with all that has been said in praise of the weekend. If the weekend only consisted of the contributions of Mike Rubinstein, Mike Gallo, and David Roth it would be a smashing success. When this body of expertise is focused on a single facet of coin magic - in this case, the production and vanish of coins - the result is something that is simply not available anyplace else. .
Since others have done so, I won't cover the contents of the carry bag stuffed with goodies that are worth the price of admission in and of themselves.
Somewhere in this over nine hour marathon there was a pizza break and a few bathroom breaks during which time one can briefly browse the immense collection of magic, autographed guitars, and other memorabilia - all worthy of a weekend in themselves. Then to be invited back for Sunday and the taping session which began at 9 AM and continued until early Sunday evening - and the opportunity to see kindred spirits both old and new - some of them only avatars before this weekend.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention what was a thread running through all of this - something that Giacomo alluded to briefly during his performance - that being the passion that was evident in both performers and participants. A passion that Giacomo welcomed because it is so seldom experienced in any form of magic. A passion that permits creativity and improvement to fourish. A passion for the preservation of the history and advancement of a form of magic that transends the cost of tuition or any material thing. The showing and preservation of the old films of past coin magic greats and the stories and anecdotes, the time and detail to do things correctly and the sharing and fellowship all create something that is both intangible and real at the same time. It rubs off on you and makes everyone better for being a part of it. All in all it is simply priceless.
What Mike Rubinstein, Mike Gallo, Geoff Latta (for the first four) and David Roth are doing in presenting these Coin Seminars is something very special that goes beyond coin magic. They are setting a standard that all other forms of magic should follow.
If and when they do this again - do not miss the chance for a weekend you will never forget.

Many attendees from prior seminars will be returning, many new ones will be joining us. Inexpensive motels are plentiful, and it is easy to get there by plane, car, bus, or horse (well, maybe not the horse). All travel and motel information is given to the people who sign up. We look forward to seeing YOU there as well! Sign up at http://www.newyorkcoinmagic.net .

Only one month to go until SEMINAR SIX! So, far people have signed up from NY, Fla, PA, Va, NJ, and people are planning to come from Ca and Canada. With easy access, cheap motels, GREAT guest performers, an ALL STAR lineup, some exciting NEW free stuff in the giveaway bags, a tribute with NEVER BEFORE SEEN footage of the late Geoff Latta in his prime, FOUR hours of hands on workshops to cap a FULL day of coin magic, MORE magic the next day at the DVD shoot, NEW stuff from the NY coin guys (and if you twist my wrist I MAY officially unveil STEALTH PALM (which will change the way to do stand up coin magic!!!!), this seminar is sure to fill up soon! Be sure to keep your schedule open for this very special event, by signing up at http://www.newyorkcoinmagic.net . Looking forward to seeing you there!

Only two weeks to go until Seminar SIX, Nov 22-23 in King of Prussia, Pa. That's two weeks until a full day of coin magic hosted by ROTH, RUBINSTEIN, and GALLO, consisting of lectures, shows, FOUR hours of hands on workshops, including two taught by AL SCHNEIDER, a special lecture by VICTOR TRABUCCO, a special tribute to the late GEOFF LATTA (never before seen footage of Geoff in his prime), rare footage of famous magicians from the past, a great PIZZA lunch, a FREE giveaway bag worth OVER $100 (different at each seminar), a chance to hang out and talk with guys like SCOTTY YORK (who may even present a few tricks), and so much more! The next day the attendees can come back to watch the DVD shoot, and may even be invited to perform a routine for the set!
FLASH: Rubinstein will be talking for the first time about STEALTH PALM, a NEW way to conceal coins that has been kept quiet for YEARS, and ROTH is going to do something NEW - that alone should be worth the price of admission of $250 for two days of coin nirvana! But you have to register to be there, and seats are limited. Register at www.newyorkcoinmagic.net , and I hope to see you there!!!

Seminar SIX is only a week away! It is important to register this weekend to insure that you will receive the giveaway bag, worth OVER $100, and LOADED with goodies you can't find anywhere else! Notes, DVD's, coins, props, pictures, specialty or one of a kind items, all go into the swag bag just for you. Someone remarked at the last seminar, that the stuff in the bag was worth over TWO hundred dollars! This year, Bayer is sponsoring our event, and the bags themselves are pretty amazng! Sign up this weekend at www.newyorkcoinmagic.net , and I will immediately send out a letter with motels in the area, and directions. See you next week!